Roxana
Roxana
346 av. J.-C. — 309 av. J.-C.
Bactriane
Roxana was a Bactrian princess, the first wife of Alexander the Great, whom he married in 327 BC following the conquest of Bactria. She was the mother of Alexander IV, the posthumous heir to the empire.
Key Facts
- Around 340 BC: born in Bactria (present-day Afghanistan/Uzbekistan), daughter of the Bactrian nobleman Oxyartes
- 327 BC: married Alexander the Great following the capture of the fortress of Oxyartes
- 323 BC: pregnant at the time of Alexander's death; she gave birth to Alexander IV
- 310 BC: assassinated along with her son by Cassander, who sought to eliminate the legitimate heirs
Works & Achievements
By marrying Roxana, Alexander sealed his alliance with the Bactrian aristocracy and eased resistance in the region. This marriage helped consolidate Macedonian dominance over Central Asia and inaugurated the policy of cultural fusion that came to define Alexander's empire.
Roxana gave birth to Alexander the Great's only legitimate son, just weeks after his death. Immediately recognized as co-king by the Macedonians, the child made Roxana the mother of the last heir to a colossal empire.
After Alexander's death, Roxana had Stateira II — the other royal wife and daughter of Darius III — assassinated, ensuring that no dynastic rival could emerge from the Persian line. A brutal political act that illustrates her determination to protect her son's succession.
For seven years, Roxana maneuvered between Alexander's generals — Perdiccas, Antipater, Olympias — to preserve her son's legitimacy and survival. Her trajectory reflects the precarious position of royal women caught in the succession conflicts of the Hellenistic era.
Anecdotes
Roxana met Alexander in 327 BC during the siege of the Sogdian Rock, an apparently impregnable fortress defended by Oxyartes, her father. According to Arrian, Alexander was so captivated by the young princess that he chose to marry her rather than take her as a mere captive — an unusual gesture for a conqueror of his stature.
The marriage of Alexander and Roxana blended Macedonian and Eastern traditions: according to Quintus Curtius, they shared a loaf of bread cut with a sword, a Macedonian wedding rite symbolizing union. This hybrid ceremony reflected Alexander's policy of seeking to merge Greek and Persian cultures.
Upon Alexander's death in June 323 BC, Roxana, who was pregnant, had Stateira II murdered — Alexander's other royal wife and daughter of Darius III — to eliminate any rival who might bear a competing heir. This brutal but politically calculated act shows that Roxana knew how to wield the codes of Hellenistic power in defense of her son's interests.
Her son Alexander IV was born a few weeks after his father's death and was immediately proclaimed co-king alongside Philip III Arrhidaeus, Alexander's half-brother who had a mental disability. Roxana thus became the mother of the sole legitimate heir to the greatest empire ever assembled, making her a central prize in the Wars of the Diadochi.
Imprisoned in Amphipolis by Cassander from 316 BC onward, Roxana and her son were quietly executed in 309 BC on the orders of this Macedonian general, who feared that Alexander IV might one day claim the throne. Their deaths brought the direct line of Alexander the Great to an end.
Primary Sources
Alexander, seeing Roxana, daughter of Oxyartes, the most beautiful woman in Asia after the wife of Darius, fell in love with her. Though he loved her, he refused to dishonor her as a war captive, and instead made her his wife.
He had only one lawful wife, Roxana, a captive he had met during the Bactrian campaign, whom he married out of love rather than political calculation.
After Alexander's death, Roxana, who was pregnant, gave birth to a son who was given his father's name. The Macedonians elected him king jointly with Arrhidaeus.
Among the captives Alexander noticed the daughter of Oxyartes, a maiden of remarkable beauty. He was seized by so powerful a passion that he declared his intention to make her his lawful wife.
Key Places
Capital of Bactria and birthplace of Roxana. It was here that the wedding ceremony between Roxana and Alexander took place in 327 BC, following the submission of the region.
A mountain fortress defended by Oxyartes, Roxana's father, captured by the Macedonians in 327 BC. It was here that Alexander first met Roxana and decided to marry her.
Administrative capital of Alexander's empire, where he died in June 323 BC. Roxana, who was pregnant at the time, was there when her husband died and immediately had to assert herself in the power struggles of the Diadochi.
Capital of the Kingdom of Macedon, where Roxana and her son were brought to secure dynastic legitimacy before the Macedonian court following Alexander's death.
A Macedonian city where Cassander had Roxana and Alexander IV imprisoned from 316 BC onward, before having them secretly executed in 309 BC, putting an end to Alexander's direct bloodline.